Chiropractic and multiple sclerosis

subluxations/high cervical

Erin L. Elster, D.C. INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is threefold: To examine the role of head and neck trauma as a contributing factor to the onset of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease; To explore the diagnosis and treatment of trauma sustained in the upper spine, through the protocol developed by the INTERNATIONAL UPPER CERVICAL CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION (IUCCA); and to investigate the potential for improvement and reduction of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease through the correction of trauma sustained in the upper cervical region. This study presents data from 81 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease who recalled a previous trauma, with injuries in the upper cervical area and who received care in accordance with the aforementioned protocol.

CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Patients were selected based on the author’s criteria. Each patient was examined and received chiropractic care within the author’s private practice in an uncontrolled environment, over a period of more than 5 years. Of the 81 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, 78 experienced at least one trauma to the head or neck prior to the onset of the disease. In order of frequency, patients indicated that they had suffered car accidents (39 patients), sports accidents, such as skiing, horseback riding, biking, American football (29 patients); or falls on icy sidewalks or down stairs (16 patients). The duration between the traumatic event and the disease varied from two months to 30 years.

INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Two diagnostic tests, digital infrared paraspinal imaging and laser-aligned X-ray, were performed according to the IUCCA protocol. These tests objectively identify subluxations (misalignment of the upper cervical vertebrae of the neural canal) sustained in the upper cervical area, resulting in neuropathophysiology. Subluxations in the upper cervical vertebrae were found in all 81 cases. After administering treatment to correct the trauma in their upper cervical region, 40 of 44 (91%) patients with multiple sclerosis, and 34 of 37 (92%) cases of Parkinson’s disease showed symptomatic improvement and a stagnation in the progression of the diseases during the care period.

CONCLUSION: There appears to be a causal relationship between trauma sustained in the upper cervical region and the onset of the diseases, both for Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Correcting the damage in the upper cervical area using the IUCCA protocol may reduce and reverse the progression of both diseases, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. A larger study is recommended, in a controlled and experimental environment with a greater number of samples. INTRODUCTION While the relationship between head trauma and the subsequent development of Parkinson’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis remains controversial, many researchers of Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis have confirmed the connection. Several researchers have reported a strong association between head trauma and the subsequent development of Parkinson’s in retrospective controlled studies, and have found that this association was much stronger than other environmental agents that have long been suspected to be risk factors for Parkinson’s. On average, these studies find that head traumas occurred two or three decades before Parkinson’s disease developed. In a recently published study conducted at the Mayo Clinic and led by Dr. J.H. Bower, the association between head trauma and Parkinson’s was investigated in more detail. After reviewing complete medical histories in both cases and controls, the research team was able to objectively determine a prior head trauma. The results of the study suggested that head trauma was associated with the subsequent development of Parkinson’s, even when the limitations of the study were taken into account. In a discussion arguing the possible role of trauma in the development of Multiple Sclerosis, Dr. Charles Posar argues that in some patients with Multiple Sclerosis, certain types of trauma (to the brain and/or to the spine, including whiplash) may act as a trigger for the onset of new or recurrent symptoms. Posar further suggests that trauma to the central nervous system may disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which many researchers consider to be a critical factor in the formation of Multiple Sclerosis lesions. His study conducted with monkeys demonstrated that a moderate trauma inflicted on the central nervous system, including damage caused by whiplash, resulted in the BBB breaking down. He also cites several studies that observed the correlation between traumas and the formation or exacerbation of Multiple Sclerosis lesions. He goes further to say that the relationship between cervical spondylosis and Multiple Sclerosis has been very well documented by Multiple Sclerosis researchers, revealing a very close anatomical correspondence between the understanding of the spine at the cervical level due to spondylosis or herniated discs and intra-spinal plaques at the same level. In 1996, a British court awarded damages to a plaintiff based on the rapid development of Multiple Sclerosis shortly after suffering a car accident.

The judge presiding over the case stated that he agreed that the plaintiff suffered whiplash, and that the symptoms that later manifested indicated that Multiple Sclerosis had developed in the same area that had been affected by the accident. Experts testified that hundreds of cases of Multiple Sclerosis were diagnosed just after a car accident occurred; other cases stated that they were caused by coincidence. While the relationships between accidents and the subsequent development of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s have been established, researchers have yet to define an exact mechanism to explain the onset of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s after an accident, nor have they isolated an objective method to measure and/or diagnose the type of trauma that causes damage and seems to precipitate the onset of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s. This work serves to demonstrate the aforementioned facts through a case summary, diagnostic test results, and the responses to chiropractic treatments in 81 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, 78 of whom confirmed that they had experienced trauma to the head or neck prior to the development of the disease. These patients were examined and were under the private care of the author for a period of more than 5 years in a non-experimental environment without a control group. This work does not imply that it is a controlled research study, but it does serve to provide the basis for future research. Reports of two of the 81 cases (1 of Multiple Sclerosis and 1 of Parkinson’s) were published in scientific journals (peer-reviewed and controlled by professionals in the field). Other reports documenting the success of treatments for patients with similar diagnoses using chiropractic care in the upper cervical area are primarily limited to research led by Palmer on upper cervical issues, conducted 70 years ago, which have never been published in the same manner. Patients with other neurological conditions such as migraines and Tourette’s Syndrome also responded favorably to upper cervical chiropractic care following the IUCCA protocol. In both cases, patients reported substantial accidents and traumas to the head or neck prior to the onset of symptoms and diagnoses.
CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Out of a total of 81 cases of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, 44 individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and 37 with Parkinson’s consented to examination and treatment for the author’s private practice. Patients began their treatment at various intervals over a period of more than five years. The duration of treatment varied from one to another depending on each individual. Data from the 44 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and the 37 with Parkinson’s were collected and listed in Tables 1 and 2 respectively. Patients with Multiple Sclerosis ranged in age from 21 to 66 years and had the disease diagnosed by their neurologists in a range of 1 year to 20 years. Most patients reported that they had already tried everything to relieve their symptoms including prescriptions, osteopathic manipulation, physical therapy, massage therapy, rolfing, acupuncture, herbs, Chinese medicine, chelation, special diets, supplements… Patients were asked if they had suffered any type of trauma (head injury, concussion, whiplash, accident, fall, etc.) prior to the onset of Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s. Of the 44 patients with Multiple Sclerosis, 43 (98%) recalled some type of trauma. (Table 1). Of the 37 patients with Parkinson’s, 35 (95%) recalled some type of trauma. (Table 2). Of the 78 patients who recalled some type of trauma (many recalled more than one), 39 (21 Parkinson’s patients and 18 Multiple Sclerosis patients) reported having suffered one or more traffic accidents (most were minor rear-end accidents) 29 reported head and/or neck injuries during sports activities, including skiing, biking, horseback riding, gymnastics, etc… And 16 reported falls on icy sidewalks or falls down stairs. In other lesser incidents, one man reported being hit in the head by a cow, another man reported head injuries as a result of an accident with very heavy machinery, and two women reported concussions due to domestic abuse. The duration between the traumatic events and the diseases varied from two months to 30 years.

INTERVENTION: Each patient was examined and cared for using the protocol developed by the INTERNATIONAL UPPER CERVICAL CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION (IUCCA), including the use of digital infrared paraspinal imaging and laser-aligned X-rays in the upper cervical region, the Knee-Chest posture adjustment procedure, and post-adjustment recovery. The care, explained in detail in previous publications, is based on the original research on the upper cervical region conducted by Palmer 70 years ago. To diagnose damage in the spine, a paraspinal thermal analysis was performed using the Tytron C-3000 according to thermographic protocols. In all 81 cases, paraspinal scans contained thermal static asymmetry of 0.5 degrees or greater, indicating neuropathophysiologies originating in the upper cervical area. Based on the results of the thermal scans, a series of X-rays of the cervical spine (lateral, anteroposterior, open mouth, and base posterior) were taken using a specially designed machine (American X-Ray Corp.) that incorporates a laser-aligned frame, a laser mounted on the X-ray tube (Titronics Research and Development), and a specific chair for positioning with head restraints. This setup is designed to ensure with certainty the deviation of the upper cervical area concerning the neural canal (and therefore the spinal cord). The analysis of the upper cervical X-rays revealed deviation of the upper cervical area concerning the neural canal, or subluxations of the upper cervical vertebrae in all 81 cases. On average, the atlas and axis of each patient were laterally deviated from the foramen magnum (occipital) by about five millimeters or less, and rotated (anteriorly or posteriorly) by five degrees or less. In Tables 1 and 2, the listings of laterally deviated atlas are presented with L (left) or R (right) and rotation A (anterior) and P (posterior). The lateral deviation of the axis is presented as (ESL) to the left, and (ESR) to the right. Because subluxations of the upper cervical region were discovered in all 81 cases, it was recommended that these patients receive the necessary care to correct these cervical damages. Before beginning care, patients were advised to continue their medical treatments, including medications unless their doctor discontinued the treatment. After consent, care was initiated according to the IUCCA protocol, to correct the deviations of the upper cervical vertebrae. To receive the adjustment, each patient was placed on a special knee-chest table with their heads turned to the right or left, using the posterior arch of the atlas or the lamina of the axis as the contact point and applying an adjusting force with the hands. After the adjustments, each patient lay in a post-adjustment recovery room for 15 minutes following the thermographic protocol. After 15 minutes, a post-adjustment thermal scan was performed to ensure the recovery of normal neurophysiology. All subsequent visits began with the thermal scan. The adjustment was only made when the patient presented thermal asymmetry again. If an adjustment was made, a second scan was performed after the recovery period to determine if normal thermal symmetry occurred again. On average, patients visited the office twice a week during the first two weeks of care, once a week for the next four weeks, twice a month for the following month, once a month for the next three months, and once every three months thereafter. RESULTS: The results of the 44 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and the 37 patients with Parkinson’s are shown in Tables 3 and 4 respectively. The tables indicate gender, age, years since diagnosis, initial symptoms, improvement of symptoms, and the category of improvement (minimal, moderate, substantial, or no change). If the patient’s condition remained the same during the duration of care, it is indicated as “no change.” Patients who showed improvement or absence of symptoms in less than half of them are indicated as “minimal improvement.” Patients who showed improvement or absence of symptoms in half of them are shown as “moderate improvement.” If patients showed improvement or absence of symptoms in the vast majority of them, they are shown as “substantial improvements.” Of the 44 cases of Multiple Sclerosis, 40 (91%) showed improvement. Of these 44, 28 showed substantial improvements, 8 showed moderate improvements, and 5 showed minimal improvements. No progression of Multiple Sclerosis was observed in the cases during the care period, which varied from 1 to 5 years depending on each patient. 4 cases showed no change in their condition (stability). Of the 37 patients with Parkinson’s, 34 (92%) showed improvements. Of these 37, 16 showed substantial improvements, 8 showed moderate improvements, and 11 showed minimal improvements. No progression of the disease occurred during the care period, which varied from 1 to 5 years depending on each patient. 3 cases showed no change in their condition (stability). HYPOTHESIS: 78 of the 81 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s had a head or neck trauma prior to the onset of the disease, including head injuries, whiplash, or concussion as a result of a car accident, sports, or other types of accidents. These facts are consistent with retrospective studies conducted with patients of Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s. In this study, patients were examined to confirm the damage caused to the spine as a result of the trauma. Two diagnostic examinations were performed, according to the protocol of the Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (IUCCA) – digital infrared imaging and laser-aligned X-rays in the upper cervical region. In all 81 cases, subluxations in the upper cervical region were found due to the traumas. After providing chiropractic care according to the IUCCA protocol, 91% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis and 92% of patients with Parkinson’s showed improvements, and all showed stagnation in the progression of the diseases during the time they received chiropractic care. 70% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis who showed improvement, and 47% of patients with Parkinson’s who showed improvements, reported substantial improvements, declaring the absence or significant improvements of the majority of symptoms. Hypothesis: Both diseases, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s, may be produced as a result of head or neck traumas, resulting from these traumas damage in the upper cervical region. These damages can be diagnosed and corrected through upper cervical chiropractic care following the IUCCA protocol. Finally, the correction of the damages may decrease and reverse the processes of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s diseases.

CONCLUSION: 81 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s were examined and cared for using the protocol developed by the International Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (IUCCA). Trauma to the neck or head was confirmed in 78 of the cases: subluxations in the upper cervical vertebrae were found in all 81 cases, and 91 percent of cases responded to care with improvement of symptoms and reversal and/or no progression of the diseases. These results indicate a causal relationship between trauma, damage to the upper cervical region, and the onset of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s diseases. Correcting the damage in the upper cervical region using the IUCCA protocol may decrease and reverse the progression of both diseases. A study in a controlled environment with a larger number of patients is recommended.

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